Is your team bringing personal devices into the company’s network? Are you challenged by the risks to your company’s information? Here are some tips for managers in the digitally connected workplace.

Happier employees deliver better results, this is not news. It is only more relevant to the millennial workforce that prefers to stay connected on social media at work, access work-related information on high-tech personal devices and likes to stay up-to-date with the latest events. In fact, a recent study by a leading consulting firm found that organisations could cut costs significantly if employees are allowed to work on their own terms. Not limiting to personal devices, ‘Bring Your Own Everything’, or BYOE is the new trend that appeals to employees and organisations alike.

According to Symantec’s latest State of Mobility Survey, 66 per cent of organisations across enterprises and small businesses in India consider themselves ‘innovators’ — and are open to change. Most of these innovators are of the opinion that offering employees a flexible and enjoyable workplace directly results in better productivity. Even after considering risks to information shared across personal devices and networks, they believe the benefits of mobility outweigh the information risks involved.

However, dramatic increase of security breaches resulting from these practices has become a major concern for organisations. Sensitive corporate information can be easily transported, stolen or lost. Another study on the cost of data breaches in organisations by Symantec shows that Indian organisations incurred Rs 2,271 per compromised record in 2012. With a constant rise in the BYOE practice, a manager is more likely to be sandwiched between the demands of employees and the organisation. It is a challenge for the manager to ensure that his team is happy and the company data secure.

Think strategically and enable broadly: Employees will use personal devices for business one way or another — so let them do it on your terms. Set clear and measurable objectives for productivity gain, employee satisfaction and customer services. Explore mobility and understand the risks and threats that need mitigation

Manage efficiently: The management of mobile devices should be integrated into the overall IT management framework and administered in the same way; this creates operational efficiencies and lowers the total cost of ownership.

Enforce appropriately: As more employees connect personal devices to the corporate network, policies need to be modified to accommodate both corporate and personally-owned devices. Employees will continue to add devices to the corporate network so organisations must plan for this legally, operationally and culturally.

Embrace the cloud: Staff will expect to access cloud services from mobile devices, so be aware that the success of the mobile world is dependent on cloud services to store and access information. It is also worth noting that the principles of a mobile computing strategy are equally relevant for employees who bring their laptop of choice to work.

Secure comprehensively: Focus on the information and where it is viewed, transmitted and stored. Look beyond basic password, wipe and application blocking policies. Integrating with existing data loss prevention, encryption and authentication policies will ensure consistent corporate and regulatory compliance.

As you plan, take a cross-functional approach to securing sensitive data. Ensure your mobile strategy is future-proof and accounts for rapid changes in usage.

With these best practices, managers are empowered to meet the rising demands of employee satisfaction on one hand, and those of the organisation’s data security on the other.

(The author is Vice-President and Managing Director, India Product Operations, Symantec.)

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